The Saint Paul Almanac is a literary campfire around which the diverse Saint Paul community gathers to share their stories. An experiment in democratic publishing, the 2012 Almanac brought together a multigenerational team of 18 volunteer community editors to blind select from 400 submissions the 129 stories, poems, and recipes chosen to appear in the coming edition. Every story has a unique, individual voice which, when combined with other stories in the Saint Paul Almanac, becomes a chorus encompassing all the energy of Saint Paul today. High school students’ work appears alongside writing by grandparents, and first-time writers appear next to Saint Paul literary greats such as Garrison Keillor and Max Shulman. Want to join us for the 2013 edition? In this section

These beautiful hand drawn maps are included with the 2012 Saint Paul Almanac, available for $14.95 in bookstores or in our online store ($17.95 including S&H). The maps are available for $10 (including S&H) as a stand alone 18.75″ x 15″ sheet, printed in full color on both sides.

Como Park Zoo & Conservatory presents “Music Under Glass,” a free concert series featuring local musicians inside the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory’s two-acres of tropical gardens. “Music Under Glass” will showcase live, local musicians from 4:30—6:30 pm every Sunday beginning February 24, 2013 through March 31, 2013. Escape the winter chill to the comfortable confines of the Conservatory for a perfect blend of musical styling ranging from a variety of genres—Zydeco to Cello & Gypsy to Jazz. Food, cocktails, beer & wine will be available to purchase.

Coming shows

March 8 – Daddy Squeeze Trio – The Daddy Squeeze Trio is a fun and adventuresome group that believes having a good time makes great music even better. They can swing the standards, generate Latin and rock grooves, and surprise their audience with slightly twisted covers of forgotten pop tunes. Imagine, if you can, a banjo and accordion treatment of “Cat Scratch Fever” or “Smoke on the Water”, a bewigged rendition of Frank and Nancy Sinatra’s “Something Stupid”, a Tango/Klezmer treatment of Cher’s “Bang Bang”, or a Tom Waits-influenced beat poetry reading of “Takin’ Care of Business”. The Trio also offers Louisiana-style dance music, Tex-Mex, Brazilian Forro, Cumbia, French Musette, Gypsy Swing, and has become a showcase for Dan “Daddy Squeeze” Newton’s original songs.

March 18 – Gnarl – Chamber ensemble, free jazz quartet, jam band: Gnarl is a continually evolving sonic experience. Four artists exchange and develop ideas in an ongoing musical conversation, ranging in mood from a delicate interplay of tones to a chaotic tangle of sound. Each performance is unique, and no-one knows in advance where it might lead.

March 31 – Dustin Lee Band – Dustin Lee is an American singer-songwriter hailing from Fort Madison, Iowa. Currently living in Minneapolis, Dustin’s material draws from a blue-collar upbringing and extensive touring across the Midwest. What results is music that embodies the history and working-class ethos that make the places and people of the heartland great. With help from a band of seasoned local musicians, Dustin’s music continues to be pushed towards new levels of passion and honesty that can be felt in every chord strummed and every note sung. It is storytelling through music–and there is no doubt that what you hear is genuine and from the heart.

Other Como Zoo stories on this website

In 1989 on the first tee at the newly reopened Como Park golf course, after watching my grandfather’s drive slice across two fairways and bank off a tree, I learned that golf is as much educational as it is recreational. “Grandpa, you missed,” I said, playfully jabbing at my hero. “Yeah, but that’s alright,” he replied with a smile. “Hitting a tree is good luck for your next shot.” “Oh!” I gleefully said, while altering my aim for a majestic birch 100 yards away. “Wait,” my grandfather said while he corrected my stance. “It doesn’t work if you try to hit it. It’s like a lucky penny. You can’t put it down and then pick it up.” This made perfect sense to my eight-year-old brain.

We were halfway around Como Lake when I heard it—the long mournful three-tone whistle-cry that grew in volume. I stopped. What is that? What is that? I know that sound. But it was utterly out of context, and I had to think to place it. The bird called again. I stopped Doug and made him take out his earbuds. (He was listening to American Music Club on his iPod.) Doug, I hear a loon!

My dad, William LaMont Kaufman, was superintendent of Saint Paul Parks for thirty-four years. He dearly loved his job, and because he did, approximately one-third of our childhood was spent in his beloved parks. Como, our favorite, offered so much to children as well as to adults. Our dad taught us the name of each plant in the conservatory and the outside gardens, not only in English but also in Latin. Many Sunday nights were Como Nights, when we sometimes brought a picnic and raced to find Dad’s name on plaques in the zoo and conservatory. But his love for Como extended to other parks: Harriet Island, Phalen, Highland, and his smaller treasures—Hidden Falls, Rice, Irvine, Kellogg, Lilydale, Indian Mounds, Mears, and Newell, among others.

Location

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